An example of log-periodicity: The discovery of chemical elements

An example of log-periodicity: The discovery of chemical elements. The discovery of the chemical elements displays many cycles generated by scientific innovations. The tempo of every cycle shows evolutionary leap followed by a pause. In this way, an evolution tree could be designed. The analysis of this explains the series of cycles by a log-periodic law with a critical time of convergence Tc = 2055 +/- 25 and a self-similarity factor g = 1.30 +/- 0.10. That means that the date of the next innovations could be proposed up to the critical time Tc. We present here the arguments to check the validity and the universality of the model to analyze the evolution trees. To cite this article: L Brissaud, C R. Chimie 12 (2009). (C) 2009 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.